trimming

Okay, so the weather forecast for mid to southern California was for thunder storms, lightening, rain, humidity, drama and flash floods. None of which happened around here, although I don’t know if these events transpired in other parts of the state. But the weather turned out to be beautiful with fantastic blue skies, some clouds and lots of humidity.

Sometimes I can be spontaneous and I got the urge to (well just a little bit), do some trimming in the garden yesterday. Naturally, being me…this became an event that lasted about three hours as I cut back some of the Salvias, trimmed the Desert Lavender/Hyptis emoryi and knocking myself out for any future events that might require my energy.

I have two Desert Lavender bushes and both of the are up against the house and easily over 8′ and tend to want to become bushy. So once in a while I have to do some trimming as one of them is right next to my sitting area in the garden and if I didn’t trim it, I’d be sitting in it’s branches.

They are covered in bees, collecting nectar and spreading their good cheer and work and Hummingbirds like them as well. Although, lately I haven’t seen too many Hummers, since most of the plants are done blooming for the summer with the exception of Everett’s Choice fuchsias.

They do adore them and of course the fiery orange color, seduces the little birds to visit the bar quite often. They love the fuchias and typically they are swooping in and out of the plants for most of the day.

So I got off my topic here…trimming. Due to all the rain we had this past winter, the plants went “bonkers’ in their growth and ended up competing for space. The Whirly Blue salvias, covered some of the Purple Three Awn grasses and a couple of Yarrows, too. They are know behaving because I cut them back a bit, which should be done beginning this time of the year.

I soaked a Spreading Gum Plan/Grindelia stricta yesterday and yanked it out today because I think it’s ugly. There’s another one that will be receiving the same fate as well but later on, not today. I whacked back several Coyote Mints/Mondardella villosa too, as they were looking done in and no longer putting on a show but they sure have a strong, minty fragrance that is almost overwhelming but nice.

August is supposedly one of our hotter months in California and my plants have all but retreated to safety until the first rains of winter. Then it will start all over again.

But what happened to today’s rain storms, flash floods, lightening and other exciting events?